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Progress Report

I had a rough beginning with this class that I am slowly getting over. When Dr. Becker was sick, I emailed multiple teachers to seek help with how the heck to even link blogs. I got no reply. From anyone. I did not feel like I was setup for success. I fell very behind, because I have 5 other classes that I feel are a higher priority, because they are more related to my major. I couldn’t fit this class into my schedule at the beginning, because I did not know how the assignments would be so I couldn’t do time management. I also have a different organization pattern and the website is very off with the way I think. I don’t even like being on the computer except to look up different types of art (e.g. photography, tattoos, fine art) or to communicate with long distance family. I don’t feel anything about the inquiry project, I am actually really confused by it.

I like a class that gives me specifics: word count, what to write about, etc.

I do not like that I have to pretty much free write everything. I think that the idea is good, because we rely on regulations all throughout our school career from an early age, but it is burned into my “school genes.” That is the way I like to do things. I love creativity, I paint, write, draw, make things, but I like my education to be forward and give me information. I haven’t liked an English class since my sophomore year in high school, because after that we stopped doing fun things.

I think that Harpreet, Madeleine, and I have similar issues. I hate not knowing if I am writing enough (although sometimes it seems like a relief). I also do not think that topics are clear. Especially in the beginning I was like “what the heck do I even do…” because the first one was pick a sentence that stood out to you and write about. When I read others’ posts, it was completely different. The course is too vague.

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One thought on “Progress Report”

I think we both had the same experience in the beginning of the course. I had to fight tooth-and-nail for a reply from somebody for the first week, and it was definitely a bumpy start.

I also share a lot of your concerns about specifics, but I think I’ve found a way to work my brain around it. You’re absolute right; we’ve been conditioned to think in terms of exact numbers. We’re used to being told our posts should be 200 words with 4 paragraphs and exactly 8 links to external sources, so that’s how we’ve learned to function. I think this class has been great for me to retrain my brain to think creatively rather than within the confines of instructions. For length, I just make sure I answer the question. I ask myself if I feel that my answer is appropriate, or if I should go into more detail. It helps me if I stop focusing on the grade (as hard as that is) and instead focus on the assignment itself. If I can answer the question with detail in two sentences, I feel like two sentences is a perfectly fine entry. Most of the time, my entries are 2-3 paragraphs. I just write down what I’m thinking, rather than trying to filter through “Is this what Dr. Becker wants to see?” I think my work looks a lot better when I’m focused on what I think looks respectable, rather than trying to mold myself to what I think others may expect of me.

That’s just my two cents! That’s what I’ve taken away from this course, I think. The ability to work for the sake of working, rather than trying to tailor my response to specifics.